


you're like summer (brighter than the morning sun)

by donghyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Fluff, M/M, Underage Drinking, apparently there's a tag for that, mark is embarrassing, that's like a major plot point so, there's also side noren but i didn't think it was relevant enough to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-14 05:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11776173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donghyuck/pseuds/donghyuck
Summary: Seemingly out of nowhere, Donghyuck shifts his head so that he’s looking up at Mark and states, “Tell me more about my legs.”





	you're like summer (brighter than the morning sun)

**Author's Note:**

> for the nct write write summer 2017 prompt: Neighbours!AU wherein Mark's family moves into the empty house besides Haechan's, and Mark both hates and loves the room that he gets because it gives him a good view of the backyard where Haechan's always suntanning.
> 
> title (loosely) from savior by shinee

The first time Mark sees him is on move in day. After ten years of his father’s job moving their family around, Mark finds himself settling back into the same town he grew up in. The streets and buildings look comparably smaller as he’s grown taller, but the place is otherwise a still life painting of the town he’d left all those years ago.

Mark has just dropped the fifth box on the floor of his new bedroom when he finally decides he has enough time to slow down. He moves toward the window to take in his new surroundings. His eyes briefly pass over the thick green foliage before ultimately falling on the manicured backyard of his neighbors. Except, there’s more than just a yard in his line of sight.

The boy sitting below him looks blissfully unaware of the outside world. His eyes are closed and his legs are stretched across a reclining chair. His legs, like the rest of him, are a dark golden tone, a sharp contrast from Mark’s own milky skin. Mark’s first thought is something akin to radio static. His second thought is that he’s hyperaware of the spit building up in his throat.

He steps back from his chair abruptly and falls onto the bed. He’s on the verge of spiralling out when he hears his mother’s voice echo from the first floor.

“Mark Lee! Get back down here and help move this furniture!”

“Coming!” He shifts his body so that he’s sitting up on the edge of his bed and cranes his neck so that he can look out the window. The boy who he had apparently not hallucinated is still lying there, unmoving.

Mark tears his gaze away from outside and starts towards the stairs to go find his mother. She’s waiting for him in the kitchen, stacks of chairs and a table in the middle of the room. He grabs one end of the table to lift it to one side of the kitchen in the hopes that physical labor will clear his head.

“Mom, do you guys still keep in touch with anyone here? Other than Jeno’s parents I mean.” He knows it’s a long shot, but if there’s any chance he can even get the name of the boy in the neighboring house he might as well try.

“It’s been so long, we lost contact with all of our casual friends. I’m sure it will be easy for you to meet other kids through Jeno, honey.” She misjudges the intent of his question, but Mark doesn’t really have an acceptable way to say _no, mom, I wanted to know the name of the hot neighbor_ so he nods in acknowledgement and sits down in one of the chairs he’d just unstacked.

He desperately tries to get his brain to recall seeing his anyone like his new neighbor when he had gone to school here. His brain fails to pull anything of help out of his childhood memories, and the only conclusion he comes to is that he would have _noticed_ a boy like that walking through the halls.

 

Mark has been unpacking boxes and hanging up posters at a ridiculously slow pace all morning as an excuse not to do anything else. Almost unconsciously, he finds himself walking to the window in the hopes of seeing the boy again. He’s not sure whether it’s luck or a curse when the boy is lying in the same position as yesterday. His legs are proportionally long and his thighs fill out the swim trunks he’s wearing perfectly. Even from his position in the window, Mark can see the definition in his muscles. Moving on autopilot, he drags his desk from the far wall so that it’s settled in front of the window and proceeds to open his laptop in front of him, eyes focused past the lit screen and out the window.

The boy looks far too comfortable lounging in the same place as yesterday, and the mere thought of staying up in his room all summer with the view of the golden boy bathing in the sun drives him crazy. He decides he should find an excuse to leave the house.

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and clicks on the most recent conversation in his texts.

**From: Mark**

**To: Jeno**

Are u free today? Unpacking is boring i wanna get out of the house

Jeno starts typing a reply almost immediately and Mark smiles at the thought of Jeno lying around with nothing better to do than scroll through his phone.

**From: Jeno**

**To: Mark**

Yes come over literally whenever

All I’m doing is watching the batman movies

He doesn’t need any more encouragement than that to jump out of his desk chair and trample down the stairs. He shoots Jeno a text to let him know that he’s leaving now and quickly pulls his shoes on. He yells “Going to Jeno’s!” into the house as an afterthought before slamming the door shut and making his way down the driveway.

The walk to Jeno’s is blissfully uneventful. Mark takes the opportunity to refamiliarize himself with the unnecessarily large white picket fence houses and their immaculately groomed front lawns. He cuts through town to get to Jeno’s place and the houses briefly give way to rows of shops and restaurants. He notices there are enough people out and about to make it look like a staged town, but not enough for it to feel real.

Jeno opens the front door for Mark with a smile that pushes his eyes into endearing crescents. Mark can hear the faint sounds of an action movie coming from the other room.

“Wanna lie on the couch and do absolutely nothing?” Jeno knows Mark all too well. He nods fervently and follows Jeno deeper into the house. Once they’re laying motionless on Jeno’s couch Mark coughs briefly to clear the air. Jeno picks up on this and shoots him a questioning look.

Mark starts awkwardly. “Hey you know, like, everyone right?”

“I know who a good amount of people are, yes.” Jeno is looking at him curiously now, waiting for him to elaborate.

“Do you know anyone with soft auburn hair, really defined legs, and tanned skin that looks like he hangs out with sun gods in his free time?” He states each descriptor while counting them off on his fingers. When he’s done speaking he looks up at Jeno hopefully.

“Dude, are you describing your ideal type to me right now or are you actually talking about someone who exists?”

Mark throws his hands up in exasperation and then moves to grab Jeno by the shoulders and shake him. “He exists! He’s my fucking neighbor!”

Jeno is laughing now. He swats Mark’s arms off of himself and sits up. “You moved in like two days ago and you already like someone?”

Mark opens his mouth to argue but closes it when he remembers the way his neighbor had looked lying in the sun, and how Jeno knows him too well to deny it anyways.

“Okay, I don’t even know the guy but he’s attractive. Like, really attractive.”

If Mark didn’t know better he would think that Jeno’s face was going to break from all the smiling he was doing.

 

Mark spends the next few days in his room in a vain attempt to get summer work done. He mostly ends up closing his notebooks and staring into his neighbor’s back yard. His brain helpfully provides the word _obsessed_.

Mark is sitting at his desk on a particularly sunny morning when he sees movement out of his clouded over eyes. The other boy is walking over to the chair stationed in the yard. Mark notices almost immediately that he’s wearing shorts instead of swim trunks today. They’re tight and _much shorter_ than the others have been. His thighs tighten as he moves to sit in the chair and Mark swallows dryly. He’s about to text Jeno and and tell him the hot neighbor is outside again when he sees his head turn. If Mark wasn’t already convinced a piece of his sanity slipped away every time he saw the other, he would’ve sworn that the boy had looked at him.

The first cover Mark can think of is to pretend like he’s just been cleaning his window. He grabs a handful of tissues from the box on the edge of his desk and begins to wipe down his windowsill, careful not to look past the white painted wood ridges. Except he’s not careful enough because his eyes are drawn back to the boy and his gut is immediately filled with regret.

For the first time in the week that Mark has been living in his new house, his neighbor is lifting his hands behind his back and gripping the top of his shirt. He pulls and the thin fabric slips off his back with ease. If Mark hadn’t been looking before, he was definitely looking now. The boy’s chest is tan and his abdomen falls somewhere between soft and defined and Mark thinks he is going to lose his mind. He stretches his arms out above his head and gives Mark a better view. Mark forgets to breath because he’s too busy keeping his eyes trained on the other boy’s chest and he’s struck with a coughing fit. He knocks a pile of books off his desk in a desperate attempt to reach for his water bottle. When he’s recovered enough to look back out the window, the other hasn’t moved save for a small smile gracing the corners of his lips.

 

**From: Jeno**

**To: Mark**

Party tonight!! Pls come you can meet renjun and my other friends

Mark’s phone shows that Jeno is typing again so he waits for the second message before replying. It shows up less than thirty seconds later.

**From: Jeno**

**To: Mark**

Golden boy might be there u never know. U can ask the others about him too

Mark’s heart lurches at the thought of seeing his neighbor at the party and he quickly responds to Jeno’s texts.

**From: Mark**

**To: Jeno**

Ok u got me. Meet at your house first?

**From: Jeno**

**To: Mark**

I knew that would convince u. Be here at 6

By the time Mark shows up at Jeno’s house he’s thought about a thousand different things he could say to his neighbor if he happened to be at the party. Most of them fall in between “Nice to meet you” and “Sorry I keep staring at you in your own backyard.” Jeno looks at him like he’s already read Mark’s mind and throws him a piece of half assed advice about not overthinking things.

The two of them order enough Chinese food to feed a small army and eat all of it before they’re ready to head out the door. Mark glances nervously in the mirror.

“Your friends aren’t gonna think I’m like, a fucking loser or anything, right?”

Jeno laughs loudly. “Well, Renjun does tend to read people, but I’m sure they’ll all like you. Mysterious hot neighbor included. Now let’s go.”

They end up in front of one of the well groomed mansion passing homes and Mark can barely comprehend why anyone would want to risk teenagers and alcohol around its likely million dollar face value. They’re late enough that no one looks in their direction when they walk inside. They follow the sound of the bass to find most of the guests are convened in a basement that looks like it has more square feet than Mark’s entire house. He’s barely had enough time to look around when Jeno is herding him towards a table in the corner and pouring a bag of hard iced tea into a solo cup. Mark takes it from him without question.

Jeno’s friends, it turns out, really like Mark. Renjun finds them first, running up to Jeno and practically jumping on his back. He kisses Jeno on the cheek before turning to Mark and shaking his hand vigorously.

“You must be the famous Mark Lee. You’d think for someone who’s known Jeno for so long I would have met you before now.”

Mark raises an eyebrow at Jeno in a way that he hopes says _Nothing going on between you two, huh?_ before answering. “I’ve listened to Jeno talk about you so much I feel like I’ve met you a million times already.”

Renjun’s face turns to a color that rivals his bright red dyed hair before shaking off Mark’s comment with a laugh. Jeno looks like he could die on the spot. The three of them stay together for a while and Renjun is just telling Mark all about how boring and insufferable Jeno can get when they spend too much time together when another boy walks up to them. He has a beer in his hand and his face is soaked with what Mark thinks is a combination of sweat and alcohol.

“Who’s this fine piece of ass?” He yells over the crowd gesturing to Mark. Jeno punches him in the arm.

“This is Mark you asshole. Don’t freak him out in his first week here.” He turns to Mark. “This is Jaemin, he’s unfortunately also my friend.”

Mark assumes Jaemin has already been informed of his existence by the way his face lights up with recognition.

“Oh, what’s up! Welcome to town. Jeno didn’t tell me you were hot.” He winks at him and reaches behind Jeno to grab a bottle of vodka. “Who’s up for a shot? To Mark’s addition to this shitty town!”

None of them oppose and Jaemin pours four shots into the shot glasses on the table. They put their hands together briefly before Jaemin yells “To Mark Lee!” and they all down the shots. Jaemin pats Mark on the back and shuffles away to go yell at a different group of people and Mark is left with the impression that he has a larger circle of friends than Jeno and Renjun do. He turns back to the other two.

“Anyone want me to get them another drink?”

By the time Mark has finished enough drinks to not remember how many drinks he’s had he realizes he has no idea where Jeno is. He leans in close to the guy who’s been telling him about soccer for the past fifteen minutes and whisper yells “Do you know where Jeno Lee is? I kind of need to get back to him."

The guy starts for a moment before pointing to an armchair settled in the corner of the room. “You mean that Jeno Lee?” He says it with a small chuckle and Mark turns to see Renjun sitting in Jeno’s lap and Jeno running his hands through Renjun’s hair. Mark groans and thanks the guy quickly before making his way over to them.

“Jeno! Not to interrupt this love fest but Mysterious Hot Neighbor isn’t here and I think I might just go home.” It takes a significant amount of effort for Mark to make it through the whole sentence. Jeno opens his mouth to respond but Jaemin, who seems to always be within earshot, has already showed up at Mark’s side.

“Hot neighbor? Who are you talking about?”

Mark gives him an exasperated look and throws his hands into the air. “Exactly! I don’t know who I’m talking about! I don’t even know his name.”

Jaemin’s eyes light up with interest and he yells over the bass “Well what are you waiting for! Describe the guy!”

Mark takes a deep breath. “Hot. He has these long legs that are muscular but slender and he’s, like, golden tan. Did I mention he’s hot?”

Jaemin starts laughing in a way that can only mean he knows exactly who Mark is talking about and he subconsciously leans closer in anticipation.

“You’re talking about Donghyuck Lee, the fucker. Of fucking course you’re the new neighbors he mentioned.” Mark’s eyes widen at that.

“You know him? You’ve talked to him recently?”

“I know everyone. And yes, he said the house next to him finally had a new family moving in. Just your luck I guess.”

Mark only half listens to Jaemin’s response because he’s too busy turning the name _Donghyuck_ over and over in his head. He reaches out to grab Jaemin by the shoulder and gives him what he can only try to express as him most earnest thanks before standing up to go find the front door. He’s made it about three steps when he hears Jeno yell, “Not so fast idiot!” and then, “you’re shitfaced right now Mark, you can’t just walk home. You don’t even know where we are.”

Mark desperately wants to argue because a walk in the cool night air sounds really nice at that moment, but the thought of wandering into the middle of White Picket Fence America stops him. He spins around to look at Jeno.

“How else am I gonna get home?”

“I’m calling you a ride right now. The town funds safe rides to avoid drunk driving. Wait outside and some kid will pick you up. Just tell them your address, I trust you can remember it.”

Mark nods numbly and watches Jeno open his phone. Once Jeno has called and relayed Mark’s name as well as the address of the party through the line, he gives a thumbs up. Mark nods gratefully and begins to fumble his way to the front of the house.

It only feels like he’s been sitting on the front porch for a minute when he sees headlights pull into the end of the driveway. He takes a moment to assess whether or not he should open the passenger side door before he pulls open the back door instead. He’s already frantically trying to buckle himself in when he stops to say something.

“Man I really hope you’re my driver because if you’re not this is really weird for both of us.”

The boy in the front of the car laughs, short and high pitched. Mark can only think about how he wants to hear the sound again.

“Nice to meet you too, Mark Lee.”

The boy stays facing the windshield as he replies and Mark scans the side of his body that he can see before his eyes land on his half bare thighs. They’re tanned golden and defined in all the right places. Something in the back of Mark’s head sets off a warning but he can’t make sense of it in his stupor. With his brain to mouth filter significantly worn down he keeps his gaze locked on the driver’s knees before stating, “You have really nice legs.” There’s a pregnant pause before the high pitched laugh that makes Mark’s heart jump fills the car again.

“Thanks, I grew them myself. Do you have an address you want me to drive you to or did you just get in here to stare at my legs all night?”

Mark flushes a shade darker than the alcohol has already made him. “Oh yeah. Right. Yeah. I have an address.” It takes him longer than he intends, but he manages to recite his address for the driver.

The boy responds with what sounds like a grunt of disbelief before he falls silent. For the first time since Mark has sat down in the car, the boy spins around and looks him in the eye. Mark sputters and tries to swallow the panic flooding his throat.

“It’s you.” The boy, _Donghyuck_ , says it like he’s holding back a laugh. Mark isn’t sure he wants to hear it this time.

“Oh, uh. Hi.” Mark’s mind flicks through every time he’s seen Donghyuck outside his bedroom window before he lands on the image of Donghyuck looking back at him. Right. That happened. As if he’s read Mark’s mind, Donghyuck says “It’s nice to finally meet you without a pane of glass between us.”

Mark squirms in his seat and coughs. He can’t think of anything better to say than, “Yeah, about that.” He lets his voice fade into silence and Donghyuck only smiles and turns back to the front. He starts the car and turns on the radio. It’s the same pop music that had been playing at the party, only at a less headache inducing volume.

In the absence of conversation, Mark finds himself thinking even more about Donghyuck, and Donghyuck’s skin, and his legs, and how they only just met but Mark never wants to stop hearing his honey sounding laugh. Without thinking about what he’s about to say, Mark blurts out “Do you by any chance want to come over tomorrow?”

A couple seconds pass with only the sound of heavy synths seeping through the radio and Mark immediately feels the need to justify his request.

“I mean, I just moved in and my pool of friends is kind of small right now. Since we’re neighbors anyway, I thought it would be nice to get to know you. I know I’ve made a bad set of first impressions, but my mom would be glad to see that I’m capable of making friends and-”

“Okay. Okay, Mark slow down I got it. I was going to say yes anyways.” The corners of his mouth are turned up and he makes eye contact with Mark in the rear view mirror as he says it. Mark lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“Oh. Okay great. Whenever you want to swing by, I’ll be home all day. Preferably not in the morning when I’m sleeping off the hangover.”

Donghyuck smiles wider than before and soon he’s turning onto their street. After he’s parked in Mark’s driveway he spins around and gives Mark a once over.

“Are you gonna need help getting to your front door?”

Mark can’t help but laugh. “Nah, I can make it. Thanks for the concern though.”

He’s already halfway to his front porch when Donghyuck calls out to him again. “The name’s Donghyuck, by the way. Although I have a feeling you already knew that.”

Mark can feel his cheeks heat up as he realizes that Donghyuck had never officially introduced himself and he hadn’t asked. He sends Donghyuck a half hearted thumbs up before taking out his house key and slipping into the safety of his own home. Once he closes the door behind him he pauses to rest his head against it.

 

The morning greets Mark with a dull pounding against his skull. He cracks his eyes open for a brief moment before turning away from the sunlight pouring in through his window and shoving his face into his pillow. His mind flashes to the image of long tanned legs and he groans into the fabric of the pillow. The night before feels like a mosaic of blurry snapshots. He remembers Jeno calling him a ride, and he remembers the headlights pulling into the driveway, and Donghyuck, and Donghyuck, and _Donghyuck_.

The thought of the other boy propels him to instinctively crane his neck so he can see out of his bedroom window. His clock says that it’s already afternoon, but Donghyuck is nowhere to be seen. It feels off, and it breaks the unspoken routine that Mark had fallen into. He can’t help but wonder if Donghyuck is avoiding him. Hadn’t he recognized him in the car? Mark can’t remember much past his abrupt declaration regarding Donghyuck’s legs and the constant ache of embarrassment that followed.

He slips back under his covers and considers texting Jeno to tell him about everything, but he’s not sure if he has the mental capacity to face everything head on yet. He opts to send Jeno a _Made it home safe, by the way_ text and lock his phone again.

It’s not even five minutes later when Mark’s mother’s voice carries through their house.

“Mark, are you awake? You have a friend at the door!”

The first sign that something is off is the fact that his mother didn’t just say “Jeno’s here,” because if it’s not Jeno, what other friends does he have here? Mark’s mind flashes between Renjun, Jaemin, and a few other blurry faces he had talked to at the party before he decides the only way to find out who it is is to go downstairs and see.

“Okay I’ll, um, be right down!”

He grabs a pair of jeans that were draped over the back of his desk chair and throws them on. He runs his fingers through his hair in place of brushing it and opens the door to head downstairs once he deems himself presentable enough for company.

The moment Mark rounds the corner to face the front door he can feel his heart claw its way up his throat. In hindsight, he probably should have considered this as a possibility, but everything about the situation seems so fake that he’s still half convinced he’s upstairs sleeping off his hangover.

“Is there something on my face?"

Donghyuck is standing in front of the door, his shoes already off and piled with the rest of Mark’s family’s. He’s smiling like he’s trying to hold back a laugh again and it’s all Mark can do not to gape at him. His mother is still standing in the room, her gaze shifting between the two boys. She responds before Mark manages to string a sentence together.

“It’s so nice to meet you and to see that Mark’s already making friends here! Are you a friend of Jeno’s?”

“Yeah, Mark and I met at Jeno’s house last night. I actually live right next door, funnily enough.” He’s lying with ease and somewhere in the back of his mind Mark is impressed. His mother responds with some sort of exclamation that turns to a dull buzz before it hits his ears. He’s still staring blankly at Donghyuck when he finally tunes back into the conversation.

“Minhyung, sweetie, why don’t you go get Donghyuck something to drink? I’ll be outside if you guys need anything.”

He watches her leave before turning to Donghyuck to address him properly for the first time time since he showed up.

“Why are you here?” His palms are starting to feel sweaty. “I mean, hi, but why are you here?”

“You invited me.” He says it with a smirk, head tilted ever so slightly as if daring Mark to argue that statement.

There’s a stretch of silence where Mark is fully convinced that Donghyuck is playing some horrible elaborate prank on him. The panic, however, quickly turns into something closer to horror when it hits him.

“Oh god. I invited you.” He says it more to himself than to Donghyuck.

“You told me to wait until the afternoon. It’s the afternoon.”

Donghyuck shifts on his feet and for a split second he looks unsure of himself, but Mark doesn’t have time to process it before he’s back to smiling like this is part of his normal afternoon routine. Mark makes a vague gesture in the direction of his kitchen and asks, “So, do you want something to drink?”

Mark is grateful for the distraction as he pours two glasses of lemonade and pushes one in Donghyuck’s direction. The other boy takes it gratefully before hitting Mark’s shoulder.

“Show me your room.”

The sudden request startles Mark. “My room?”

“Yes, Mark, the room you keep your things in and sleep in.”

There are still boxes lining the walls of Mark’s room when they enter, most of them empty, but a few full of things he hadn’t cared enough to put away yet. Donghyuck immediately moves towards his desk and sits in front of it. He makes a show of stretching his neck so that he can see into his own backyard and Mark’s cheeks flush.

“Nice view you’ve got. I bet it’s better when I’m in it.”

“You know, I’m sorry if I ever made you uncomfo-” He starts awkwardly, but Donghyuck cuts him off.

“You don’t have to apologize, dude. Better you than the old couple that used to live here.”

It catches Mark off guard that Donghyuck seems so _unfazed_ by the whole situation, as if he’d hung out with Mark a million times before. It’s ridiculous, Mark thinks, that the other’s demeanor somehow makes him feel more at ease as well. He hums in acknowledgement of Donghyuck’s words sits down on the edge of his bed. Donghyuck follows suit and falls backwards so that his arms are splayed across the sheets.

“Play us some music.”

Mark acquiesces, turning on some Top 100 playlist that’s full of songs that are so overplayed they melt into familiar background noise. Donghyuck fills the empty spaces by telling Mark about how boring the town is, and how the parties get repetitive and the schoolwork gets tedious.

“I’m basically the best thing about this town, so you’re lucky you moved in here.” He looks up at Mark as he says it, all smiles and sparkling eyes.

It’s hard for Mark to pinpoint the moment when his panic fades into something more like lightheartedness. He thinks it happens gradually, ebbing away with each fit of laughter the two of them share.

Donghyuck doesn’t leave until just before dinner time. The sky is only a tinge darker than it was when Donghyuck arrived, and Mark had forgotten how late it was because the sun never seems to leave in the summer. He follows Donghyuck downstairs and to the front door. The other boy grins widely at him before declaring “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mark.” and skipping down the steps of the front porch. Mark stares at the door after he’s closed it, wondering what unspoken deal he agreed to.

It takes less than a minute for Mark to snap out of his reverie and pull out his phone. He hits the call button on Jeno’s contact and holds it up to his ear knowing he won’t have to wait long for the other to respond. When Jeno answers, he skips any formal greetings.

“Dude, are you okay?” His voice sounds on edge, and Mark knows it’s because he never calls unless it’s something important.

“Jeno-” It’s the first time the two of them have really talked since Mark left the party the night before, and the whole Donghyuck situation seems so ridiculous and far removed at this point he’s not even sure where to start.

“Jeno, holy shit.”

 

“Tomorrow” becomes the day after that, and the day after that, and Donghyuck makes a habit of showing up on Mark’s doorstep with starry eyes and bags full of snacks. On some days, Donghyuck convinces him to spend the afternoons in the same backyard Mark first saw him in. When Mark manages to have his way, they waste time sprawled out on Mark’s bed in the air conditioning instead. Mark learns to live with the way his heart starts beating erratically every time Donghyuck laughs, or when their hands brush as Donghyuck hands him bags of chips and plates of fruit.

They factor Jeno and the others into their equation easily as a result of Jaemin’s persistent need to be involved in other people’s business. Mark doesn’t really mind because he likes the friend group, and Jaemin is skilled at making Donghyuck laugh.

The five of them are gathered at Jeno’s. Renjun and Jaemin are sitting cross legged in front of Jeno’s TV playing some video game that Mark’s never heard of before. Donghyuck is stretched out on the couch with his head in Mark’s lap. It’s comfortable, and from the corner of his eye Mark can feel Jeno staring at them. When he turns his head Jeno is giving him the same _Nothing going on between you two?_ look that Mark had used against him just a couple weeks before.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Donghyuck shifts his head so that he’s looking up at Mark and states, “Tell me more about my legs.”

Mark chokes on his own saliva in surprise, falling into a brief coughing fit before he’s able to clear his throat and stutter back “W-What do you mean?”

Apparently this exchange is more interesting to Jaemin than the video game is because he pauses it quickly and he and Renjun spin around in their spots. Donghyuck doesn’t have a chance to answer Mark’s question before Jaemin pipes up.

“Yeah, what was it you said to me, Mark? Something about them being muscular but slender?”

Mark’s can feel his face heating up as he recalls his drunken explanation of Donghyuck’s appearance. How Jaemin managed to remember it so well is beyond him. Jeno lets out a loud cackle and Mark _knows_ he’s about to say something that will make Mark want to dig his own grave.

“My favorite line was that they’re tanned like he hangs out with sun gods.”

Sinking through the floor is starting to seem more and more like a good idea to Mark. He’s so preoccupied with his own embarrassment that he almost misses the pink tinge that’s graced Donghyuck’s cheeks. Almost.

Donghyuck lifts his head off of Mark’s lap and sits up. Before Mark can register what’s happening Donghyuck swings one of his legs over Mark and sits in his lap so that they’re face to face. It’s all Mark can do not to look down at his friend’s thighs resting on his own.

“Why didn’t you tell me all this before, Markie?” He purposefully makes his tone of voice higher, drawing his words out and teasing Mark because he knows how easily Mark turns into a nervous wreck.

Mark can feel all logical thought leave his brain as he sits dumbly with his mouth hanging open, willing himself to think of anything he could say to salvage the situation. Nothing comes to him, though, and Donghyuck only smiles wider. He climbs off of Mark and settles back in next to him. He makes sure Mark is looking at him before he mutters, “Cute.”

It’s quiet for a moment after that and Mark is just starting to believe he imagined Donghyuck saying it when Renjun sees their matching pink faces from his spot in front of the TV and rolls his eyes.

“Get a room.”

 

Mark and Donghyuck are sitting with their backs against the tree in the middle of Donghyuck’s backyard. It’s one of the hottest days of the summer and somehow Mark had ended up agreeing to stay outside in the stifling heat instead of escaping into one of their air conditioned homes. Donghyuck loves the heat, and Mark doesn’t really understand how he can love it, but he’s finding it increasingly more difficult to say no to the other boy.

The heat makes Mark feel far more lethargic than usual, the air pressing into him on all sides. He can feel sweat pooling on his skin. Donghyuck is sitting close enough that their thighs stick together. The sweat makes it uncomfortable, but Mark stays where he is, pulse thrumming at the contact.

Neither of them have spoken in a couple of minutes, silently working their way through a plate of watermelon that Donghyuck’s mother had brought out for them. Mark has never felt so lucky to be sitting in a pool of his own sweat in the dead of summer. Donghyuck has his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the tree. When his voice pierces through the thick layer of heat and silence it takes Mark by surprise.

“Mark Lee, how long do I have to wait for you to kiss me?”

Mark nearly chokes on a watermelon seed. He whips his head around so fast he feels a sharp pain in his muscles. Logically, Mark knows that his hearing is perfectly functional, but Donghyuck hasn’t moved an inch since he spoke, his eyes closed and his hands resting behind his head.

Donghyuck cracks one eye open, and then the other, and stares at Mark lazily. He shifts so that his face is inches away from Mark’s and the corner of his lips quirk upwards like he knows exactly the effect he has on Mark. Mark swallows a knot in his throat before Donghyuck speaks again.

“Unless I misinterpreted you checking me out from your bedroom window?”

He’s too close and the only way Mark can think of to both shut him up and get what he wants is to close the barely there gap between their mouths.

Donghyuck tastes like salt and watermelon and lemonade. He tilts his head slightly and moves to wrap his arms around Mark’s neck. Mark can feel a warmth stronger than the summer heat seep into his bones at the touch.

When Donghyuck finally pulls away he keeps his forehead pressed against Mark’s. His voice is quieter and softer than usual when he breathes out, “Took you long enough.”

Mark is smiling now, his lungs full of humidity and Donghyuck.

“You could’ve done it yourself if you were so confident.”

Donghyuck flushes and breaks the contact. He hits Mark lightly on the shoulder and mumbles something that sounds remarkably like “Shut up Mark Lee” before burying his head in the crook of Mark’s neck. When he looks back up, Mark doesn’t miss the pink tinge in his cheeks.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first thing i've published since february and i only got it done because i had actual deadlines so i hope it wasn't the worst. thank you for reading!! and always thank you a million times over to my two ficdom besties and betas you guys know who you are.


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